Blister packages are beneficial to the merchandizer in that they provide good product visibility, and therefore attract customer attention to the contained product, in addition to providing bulk to the package, thus discouraging theft. Compared to other forms of packaging providing good product visibility, blister packaging is attractively economical. It is believed that initially all blister packages had complete and uniform adhesion around the flange between the blister and the backing board. Normally, the adhesion is very strong, and these packages are thus limited to a one-time use, because either the board or the blister is destroyed when the package is opened. In many cases, though, blister packages could be advantageously used if the package could be opened with minimal package damage, and subsequently reclosed to contain the unused portion of the product. This is particularly advantageous where portions of the contained product are normally removed periodically for use--and the unused portion of the product requires the continuing protection and containment provided by the package.
This invention relates specifically to reclosable blister packages. Reclosable blister packages have been developed which, by various means, allow the package to be opened without substantial package damage, and which provide some reclosing feature. These developments are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,127,010; 3,174,621; 3,502,486; 4,119,203; and 4,166,535. A recent development is described in United States patent application Ser. No. 958,716, filed Nov. 8, 1978, which has now been indicated as allowable.
In the known art of blister packages having a multiplicity of compartments, gaining access to the product in any given compartment requires penetrating the package at the appropriate compartment, normally by tearing. When a number of compartments are involved in the package, the appearance of the torn package may rapidly deteriorate as additional compartments are torn open. There is also the very real risk of inadvertently opening more than one compartment, or the wrong compartment. Thus it would be desirable to provide a reclosable blister package having a multiplicity of product-holding compartments to which access may be gained, separately and individually, through a single opening, and without reducing the capacity of the package to contain product. It would also be desirable if product could be removed from, and subsequently replaced into, individual compartments.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reclosable blister package having a blister cavity which contains multiple product-holding compartments, each compartment being capable of being separately presented to a dispensing opening in the package.
It is a further object to provide such a package having a blister with a product-holding cavity, and a rotatable insert in the cavity, the insert having a multiplicity of product-holding compartments.
It is a more specific object to provide a reclosable blister package having a rotatable insert capable of holding products in a multiplicity of product-holding compartments, inside the blister cavity, and a means for opening the package and presenting the compartments to the opening; and in doing so in such a manner that product may be removed from a given compartment, and subsequently replaced into the same, or a similar compartment; the removal and replacement proceeding without substantially damaging the compartment or the overall package, or reducing its product-holding capacity.